Hobbes and the Law

A collection of essays devoted to the legal thought of Thomas Hobbes, arguably the greatest political philosopher to write in English.

Written by specialists in law, history, philosophy and political theory, this collection of essays covers various aspects of Hobbes's legal thought. It will appeal to scholars and graduate students in these disciplines and to those working on the rule of law, security and liberty, political authority and the modern state.Hobbes's political thought provokes a perennial fascination. It has become particularly prominent in recent years, with the surge of scholarly interest evidenced by a number of monographs in political theory and philosophy. At the same time, there has been a turn in legal scholarship towards political theory in a way that engages recognisably Hobbesian themes, for example the relationship between security and liberty. However, there is surprisingly little engagement with Hobbes's views on legal theory in general and on certain legal topics, despite the fact that Hobbes devoted whole works to legal inquiry and gave law a prominent role in his works focused on politics. This volume seeks to remedy this gap by providing the first collection of specially commissioned essays devoted to Hobbes and the law.